


Guarded Hearts

by Soojinnie



Series: Royal Secrets [3]
Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Angst, Death, M/M, Sad, backstory time, just ... angst, not main character death tho, seungcheol is unfortunately being emotionally tortured, whoops
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-15
Updated: 2020-01-15
Packaged: 2021-02-27 11:49:02
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,748
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22266655
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Soojinnie/pseuds/Soojinnie
Summary: Seungcheol never wanted to join the Royal Guard.Jihoon doesn't know what's happened.But somehow, they're both Jeonghan's personal guards.(aka Seungcheol's backstory and Jicheol's first meeting~~)
Relationships: Choi Seungcheol | S.Coups/Lee Jihoon | Woozi
Series: Royal Secrets [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1480400
Comments: 1
Kudos: 46





	Guarded Hearts

**Author's Note:**

> This only took me oh i don't know like frigging forever i hate, but thank u for reading hehehe

All royal guards remember the day they were recruited. Some had happier stories, tales of excitement, joy, pride, even, at the thought of being selected for such an honour-filled task.

Others were… less. Seungcheol wishes he could erase the memory, but it’s permanently burned into his mind. He remembers the way he was so excited for his birthday – his eighteenth! –. 

He’d woken up with a weird, tingling pit in his stomach, but he ignored it, figuring it was just nerves for hitting such a big, important, **adult** , milestone. He sat himself at the table, willfully ignoring the unsettling tension around him, brightening up when his sister brought out his favourite cake.  
  


_“Happy birthday Cheollie,” she beamed, setting it down in front of him. He leaned over to hug her, thanking her profusely for the red velvet birthday cake._

_If only he’d paid more attention to the warning signs. He remembers the air, reeking of fear, their instinctive retreat when he tried to reach out for his family, the way they slumped in relief when the guards took him away._

_He was panting, world dizzy and dread pooling in his belly. He could hear his parents screaming and his sister sobbing, apologizing over and over, but he was too disoriented to figure out whatever she had said._

_(He later learns that she’d spiked the cake with a shifting serum, thinking it would be harmless because he was human._

_He wasn’t.)_

_His vision was alarmingly sharp, and he could see the remnants of his birthday cake in a heap on the floor, the vibrant red crumbs scattered on the wood floor of their cozy apartment. The sweet scent of red velvet permeated the air, the sharp tang of cream cheese frosting tickling his nose, and.. something else. He couldn’t pinpoint it then, but the scent was unpleasant, bitter, even. He glanced up, staring at his family huddled in a corner of their house, away from the dangers, away from him._

_“Eomma please I- I’m scared,” Seungcheol cries, reaching out for his mother, who just recoiled in fear._

_Seungcheol bites back a whimper, lashes wet with tears as he watches his father pull his wife and daughter behind him._

_“Appa –“_

_His pleas are suddenly cut off when three figures storm into the house. Seungcheol turns suddenly, a warning growl ripping from his throat. The guards are taken aback but didn’t move, and Seungcheol recoils when he realizes what he’s done._

_“Choi Seungcheol, aged 18, Cheetah.”_

_“Ch-Cheetah?“ he gasps, scrambling back in a panic when they advance towards him. “N-No I’m sorry– Please –” One of the guards (who Seungcheol learns is named Yoongi) walks forward to where Seungcheol is, kneeling and meeting the teenager’s wide, terror-filled brown eyes._

_“Hey, hey, kid, it’s okay,” he soothes. “I’m sorry, but you need to make a choice,” he murmurs, and Seungcheol hiccups, turning back to look at his family. Yoongi follows his gaze, waiting patiently till Seungcheol turns back to him, eyes red rimmed and filled with pain._

_Yoongi hyung was one of the head recruiters. He was a cobra shifter, and had an uncanny ability to get people to calm down and listen to him (Seungcheol thinks it’s the way he’s completely unflustered, but Jimin thinks it’s because Yoongi has a terrifying aura and listening is better than certain death)._

_“What choice do I have?” he whispered hoarsely, tears spilling down his cheeks. Everyone knew what happened if you turned down the royal guards._

_Seungcheol had never understood why they executed those who refused to join the guard, never knew why they didn’t just recruit normally like most armies did._

_There were rumours of course, whispers in the night about the guard secretly being wizards, monsters, magical, evil creatures who had unnatural gifts, to turn into whatever they wanted, to conjure weapons at will, and only those who were chosen would be allowed to train in the mysterious art._

_He never understood why they were so secretive._

_Until now._

_Yoongi looked at him gently, like he knew exactly how it felt. “You’re a predator shifter, descended from the exiled brother of the royal family,” he explained, voice lowered to make sure Seungcheol’s family wouldn’t ever hear a word about it. “All descendants from his line must serve the Royal family, or be executed immediately to protect the Royal Secret.”_

_Seungcheol had stared at him, dumbfounded. Some things certainly made sense now (mostly him turning into a fucking cheetah), but it still didn’t explain why he had to be punished for something some stupid Royal did._

_“What Royal Secret?” Seungcheol asks dumbly, and Yoongi sighs quietly._

_Seungcheol learned that day why he has to serve the Royal family. He hated that he had no say in it, that this- gift – no, curse – had ripped him from his family, but he felt an odd sense of pride, knowing that he, and a select few others had the ability to protect the Heads of the Kingdom._

_He’d written a note for his terrified parents, apologizing for everything that had happened, and wished them the best. He writes to his older sister, telling her to look after their parents, and that he’s sorry he can’t protect her anymore, or be the little brother she adored so much. He puts the pen down and leaves the note on the table, tucked under his favourite cup, and Yoongi led him out of the house, away from home, his family, and life as he knew it._

_He had chosen to stay silent the entire ride to the palace, not bothering to look at the other recruits. Seungcheol recognized a few familiar faces, but he didn’t want to think about having to interact and be social with anyone._

_He just wanted to go home._

_They arrived at the palace without much fanfare, and Seungcheol was assigned to a Korean American shifter named Aron. The alligator shifter regarded him coldly, ordering Seungcheol to follow him, explaining the rules and expectations of training while showing him to the dormitories._

_There were three stages to fully qualify as a Royal Guard; a basic physical test, a written test, and a final, secret test. They trained 6 days a week, 16 hours a week. Aron was the harshest of all the trainers (according to his fellow trainees at least), frequently calling Seungcheol in for extra trainings on Sundays. Most of his peers looked at him with pity while they enjoyed their free time, but he was grateful for the extensive regimen; it took his mind off his family, and it meant that he would be guaranteed to fall into an exhausted, dreamless sleep._

_His off days were the worst. With nothing to do, and no one barking orders at him, Seungcheol would let his mind drift back to his family, and he’d feel a stab in his already fragile heart, the pain of being ripped from his beloved parents and sister still fresh after 6 months._

_Aron, despite his harsh, cold demeanor, was actually a huge softie, often calling Seungcheol out for drinks and food, offering advice, or even just a listening ear, and for that Seungcheol was eternally grateful. The alligator shifter had pushed him hard, and he’d ended the only trainee that had passed the written test. (He’d celebrated so hard with Aron that they both woke up with raging hangovers, but it was so worth it)._

_Seungcheol knew there was a final, secret test before he was fully inducted as one of the Royal Guards, and he expected another physical test, or another written test even._

_He didn’t expect this._

_He stares at the list of names and address, and all his memories come rushing back. The screams, the fear, the heartache, and Seungcheol is frozen. After a year, he’s right back where he started._

_He can’t do this._

_He can’t._

_He can’t rip another family apart._

_Aron sees the horror on his protégés face, and tugs him away quietly._

_“Breathe, Cheollie, breathe,” Aron instructs, gripping Seungcheol’s shoulders firmly, trying to ground his very freaked out trainee._

_“H-hyung I can’t – this –” he forces out, hands trembling. “How could I do this to someone else?” he whispers, eyes panicked, teary and scared._

_“You do it because you have to,” Aron answers honestly, and Seungcheol sucks in a shaky, deep breath. “I’ll be with you, all the trainers will. All you need to do is watch. We’re not asking you to take them yourself, the final test is to prove that you’re strong enough to conquer this fear,” he murmurs, and Seungcheol nods, quickly wiping away the tears that threaten to fall._

_“Okay,” he hiccups, taking another breath to steady himself. “Okay, let’s go.”_

_Aron watches as his student puts himself back together, putting on a front as he heads out with the recruiting guards. He sighs, running a hand through his hair. The pleas and screams still haunt him, every single one since he first started three (not-so) long years ago. He sighs, resignedly following the newly-determined recruit, hoping this test won’t break his spirit._

_Seungcheol’s horrified._

_It had all been going so well. They’d picked up a snow leopard named Junhui, who was more than confused about the whole situation, but was more than happy to be recruited. He’d even glanced at Seungcheol and winked suggestively, snickering when Seungcheol’s ears turned bright red. He was happy, relieved, almost, that their recruitment had gone so well._

_And then it didn’t._

_He stares at the scene unfolding before him, the young lion shifter struggling against the Royal Guards, yelling for help, attempting to shift in a fruitless bid to get away. Seungcheol flinches, looking away when the shifter is forced to his knees, the injection mercilessly administered. The anger on the young teenager’s face gives way to shock, then fear, before his expression crumples, and he slumps forward, motionless. Aron moves forward silently, checking him for a pulse, nodding when he finds none. The look on the guards’ faces is grim as they carry the body back into the house, bowing politely before moving onto the next house. Seungcheol’s still standing behind the house, staring at the spot where the new shifter –_

_He can’t bring himself to say it. It makes him sick, and he fights the urge to throw up right there. Aron puts a gentle hand on his shoulder and he jumps, staring at his mentor, eyes filled with tears._

_“He – they –” he stammers, still refusing to accept whatever had just happened. Aron nods, looking back into the house, where they can both hear the family’s desperate, broken cries over the son they just lost._

_“Yeah,” Aron answers quietly. “It’s the least painful way to go,” he shrugs. “They can’t be allowed to roam free, it’s too dangerous. You know what happened the last time someone let a predator go,” he murmurs, and Seungcheol flinches, recalling the carnage that was left behind. He sighs, forcing whatever he just saw into the deepest crevices of his mind. He shoots Aron a grateful smile, taking a steadying breath before nodding, forcing himself to move on._

_Seungcheol wants to go home, soak himself in boiling water and scrub his skin raw. Maybe then, just maybe, it’ll wash the blood staining his hands. It’ll at least be a fitting punishment for everything he’s done just in this one day alone._

_“Please, please I can’t go to the palace, I –” she falters, turning back to look at her brother tearfully._

_Park Minhee, 18, Lynx._

_Seungcheol stays silent, eyes flicking to the girl’s mother, her skin a chalky white, and her breathing laboured._

_She doesn’t have much time left, Seungcheol thinks, feeling the guilt (and bile) quickly rising. He forces it down, stepping forward when Minhee growls warningly, desperate to be with her family._

_“Then you know the consequences,” Yoongi says quietly, and she chokes on a sob, hesitating before she nods reluctantly._

_“I’ll- I’ll go with you. G-give me a minute to-to say goodbye, please,” she croaks, and Yoongi nods brusquely, motioning for the other guards to prepare for their departure back to the palace._

_Seungcheol wants to look away, knows he shouldn’t watch such a private moment, but he’s transfixed, the guilt swallowing him whole. Minhee leans down, hugging the young boy – no older than seven or eight – tightly, before resting her hands on his shoulders._

_“Look after eomma, okay? Noona’s gotta go somewhere,” she whispers, and the young boy frowns in confusion._

_“But- what about eomma? When’s noona coming back?” he asks, and the girl whimpers, pulling her brother into another tight hug._

_“I’m sorry,” she whispers, pulling away. “You have to be a big boy and look after eomma, okay? I love you so much,” she murmurs, pressing a kiss to his forehead._

_Minhee stands, kneeling by her mother’s bedside, pressing gentle, loving kisses to both her cheeks, whispering a broken “I love you,” before she pulls away, walking away without a second glance._

_The guards file out behind her, and Seungcheol’s heart drops when he hears the little boy crying for his sister, gut-wrenching, broken sobs as he watches his only sibling leave him behind._

Seungcheol looks down at her motionless form, wondering why she thought she could do it. She’d lied to Yoongi, pretended to agree to join the Royal Guards, then had tried to attack him from behind. Seungcheol had acted instinctively, grabbing her from behind and subduing her, his strength and training easily overpowering her fully shifted form. 

Yoongi had the syringe in hand. Seungcheol heard the pained whimper, and the effects were almost immediate. She shifted back, and turned to look at Seungcheol, eyes wide and fearful as the realization dawned on her. 

“I’m sorry,” Seungcheol whispers, and Minhee struggles for a second before going limp. He drops her, her eyes staring up at him, glassy and unseeing. It makes his stomach lurch, and he reaches down, shutting her eyes quickly. She had begged and pleaded for them to let her go, that she wasn’t dangerous and she just wanted to look after her brother and sick mother. 

“She was just desperate to be with her family,” Seungcheol whispers hoarsely, and Yoongi sighs, looking down at the girl. 

“Take her with us. Her brother doesn’t need to know that she’s gone,” he murmurs, and Seungcheol looks up at him in surprise. “We’ll give her a proper burial.” 

Yoongi pats Seungcheol’s shoulder, handing him a thick blanket, and Seungcheol stares after Yoongi, wondering how he manages to do this for so long, unmoved and unaffected by anything. He does as he’s told, wrapping her up and putting her in the back. He tells Aron that he wants to walk back, and that he just needs some air. His mentor nods understandingly, reminding him to report for their debrief that evening. 

Seungcheol strolls the streets, picking up various snacks and bites as he tries to rid himself of the horrifying images from his mind. He’s so preoccupied he almost doesn’t register the yelling. 

_Almost_. 

He jerks back to reality, eyes scanning the crowd urgently, trying to find the source of the noise. He doesn’t know how, but the system must have missed one. 

_“You know what happened the last time we let one go.”_

The words ring in his ears, and he tries to focus on the sound, frowning when he realizes that it doesn’t sound anything like a predator’s growl. Seungcheol searches anyway, pushing through the small crowd of kids and adults to finally spot the shifter, and he stops dead in his tracks. 

A _pomeranian_? What the fuck? 

It’s not possible. The only shifters outside the Royal family were predators, what – what was a domestic shifter doing here? 

What the _fuck_????

To everyone else, all they hear is incessant barking from a small, cute little dog, but Seungcheol understands him perfectly. He scoops up the puppy, carrying him away quickly, thanking the kids for finding his puppy.

The dog barks indignantly, evidently unhappy from being picked up. 

_EXCUSE ME, I AM NOT YOUR DOG_

“I can help you, just shut up at trust me,” he whispers, looking around to ensure none of the other guards are around. The Pomeranian stops barking, staring up at him in surprise 

_You can understand me???_ He barks, and Seungcheol shushes him again. 

“Yes I can, but so can all the other shifter guards. If they find out you exist they’ll kill you without hesitation,” he hisses, and the Pomeranian promptly shuts up. 

“What’s your name?” he murmurs, and the Pomeranian barks once, before burrowing into the little nook in Seungcheol’s arms. 

Jihoon.

_Lee Jihoon, 18, Pomeranian_

Seungcheol isn't entirely sure what had driven him to go help Jihoon, instead of just reporting him, but it isn’t his fault he was born. He has a faint idea of how the hell Jihoon is a domestic shifter, but he’s afraid of the consequences should his suspicions be proven wrong.

He heads back to the palace as quickly as he can, locking himself in his room and letting Jihoon out from his hiding spot. The pomeranian shakes out his fur, and stares expectantly at Seungcheol. 

“Well? Shift back so we can talk,” he says, and Jihoon shoots him a deadpan look (or as deadpan as a Pomeranian _can_ look), and Seungcheol realizes he doesn’t know how. He panics for a second, then scoops him up again and heads for the only person who might be able to help. 

Crown Prince, Yoon Jeonghan. 

Even before the final test, Seungcheol had been assigned to guard the Crown Prince, solely because they were the same age. The King wished for his son to have someone would be able to keep up with him, and so Seungcheol had been offered up on a silver platter. 

Yoon Jeonghan was as challenging as everyone had cautioned, and to some extent, even more. He was wickedly smart, liked pissing Seungcheol off by sneaking off, and was overall a pain in the ass. But Seungcheol knew he had a good heart, and prayed that he would be able to explain what was happening, or at least show Jihoon how to shift back.

Jeonghan’s in his bedroom, reading a book about Greek Gods when the door slams open, and a disheveled Seungcheol bursts in. 

“I could have you kicked out for intruding like this,” he laughs, setting his book down when he sees how serious Seungcheol looks. “What happened?” he asks, and Seungcheol shuts the door, locking it firmly. 

“Ah ah, it’s a little early to try and seduce me, don’t you think?” he jokes, and Seungcheol makes a choked noise. 

“Y-Your highness I’m sorry for barging in like this but I didn’t know who else to turn to,” Seungcheol murmurs, hesitantly lifting his cape and revealing Jihoon. 

“He’s a – oh,” Jeonghan stares at the Pomeranian, the shock written clear on his face. “But… _how_?” he whispers, turning to stare at Seungcheol, not wanting to accept the truth staring the both of them in the face. 

“He has no father, mother died in childbirth, raised by his grandmother,” Seungcheol offers quietly, and the prince sucks in a breath. “He also doesn’t know how to shift back.” 

Jeonghan forces out a chuckle, shaking his head slightly. “It’s the first thing we’re taught,” he murmurs, shifting elegantly into his other half before showing Jihoon how to shift back. Seungcheol stands by the door, watching the two of them interact, and eventually Jihoon manages to shift, dark fluffy fur making way for milky white skin. 

“You’re tiny,” Jeonghan coos, and Jihoon looks up, glaring unhappily at Jeonghan. 

“I’m … naked,” he croaks, voice hoarse from underuse. “Wh-what happened? Why the fuck was I a dog?” 

“You’re probably my half brother, or more crudely, the King’s bastard child,” Jeonghan explains bluntly, and Jihoon’s eyes almost widen into saucers. “The Royal family have the ability to shift into domestic animals. An exiled branch of the family shift into predators, which now make up the Royal Guard.” 

Seungcheol stares at Jeonghan disapprovingly, and the crown prince raises an eyebrow at him. “What? Either he knows now and hides his identity, or he dies, we both know those are the only two options,” he shrugs, and Seungcheol can’t find it in him to refute that statement. 

He runs a hand through his hair, thanking Jeonghan quietly when the prince hands Jihoon some clothes, which the younger accepts gratefully. They sit in relative silence, waiting patiently for the new shifter to digest the overload of information. 

“S-so what do I do?” Jihoon eventually asks, glancing at Jeonghan and Seungcheol. Seungcheol shrugs, turning to Jeonghan expectantly, who explains that he either can go back into hiding, which would be incredibly risky, or join the Royal Guard. 

“But I’m not a predator,” he frowns, and Jeonghan waves his concerns away. 

“Don’t worry. You’ll be my personal guard. You’ll need to go through the basics of course, but I’ll spare you from the rest of the more intense training. If Father finds out one of his mistresses had a child, he’d slaughter your entire family just to keep it a secret,” he sighs, and Seungcheol suppresses a shudder, trying not to imagine the lengths the King would go to in order for his dirty secrets to stay silent.

“I need a day,” Jihoon says suddenly, and both Jeonghan and Seungcheol look surprised. “My- My grandmother. She’s raised me this entire time I need to tell her I’m – I’m joining the Royal Guard.” 

Jeonghan grins cheekily, hopping off his bed. “Well then, it’s off to the city we go! This way, you can hide in the car and no one will be any wiser,” he chirps, and Seungcheol rolls his eyes. 

“You just want to see that cafe owner don’t you,” he deadpans, and Jeonghan has the audacity to wink at him, flouncing off to change into something more “appropriate.” 

Jihoon fiddles with the hem of his shirt, trying to shrink into the walls while waiting for his highness. Seungcheol pats the younger’s frail shoulders reassuringly, and he can see some of the tension melting away. 

“We’ll take care of you, promise,” he murmurs, and Jihoon nods silently, still lost in his thoughts. 

Seungcheol can’t help but feel a flutter in his chest, a sense of protectiveness washing over him for the younger, dark haired boy. 

“Thank you hyung,” Jihoon whispers, cheeks flushed a dainty pink against his porcelain skin, and the fluttering suddenly becomes full on pterodactyls. 

_Fuck_. 

**Author's Note:**

> Comment and Kudos! They always make my day.
> 
> Send requests and asks on my (various) tumblrs!
> 
> SPN: [ YourSupernaturalSammyGirl ](https://yoursupernaturalsammygirl.tumblr.com)
> 
> BTS: [ BT(S)VT Adventures ](https://btsvt-adventures.tumblr.com)


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